When I was little I was forced to wear skirts to church, I HATED skirts. I would always ask why my brother got to wear jeans and the answer was always the same, “you’re a girl and girls wear dresses.” Pretty sure that is no way to get a kid excited about going to church. I was a tomboy; I liked playing on bars, building forts, jumping on and off the tailgate of the truck as my dad unloaded hay, hustling my brother’s friends in arm wrestling, getting dirty, and wearing JEANS.
Yes we live in the PC age where femininity is however you want to define it, but on some level I still cling to those notions of what stereotypical feminine traits are whether I embody them or not I can appreciate them and even aspire to some of them.
- Wearing make-up. I love it yet I completely suck at it. I am guilty of watching YouTube tutorials on “creating the perfect smokey eye” only to come out looking like a street whore whose face was smashed into a pillow for hours. I guess we’re just not born knowing how to do apply it….ugh.
- Soft spoken-ummm yea no, I mean yes I am quiet, but I cuss like a sailor and try as I may I’m not cured of my foul mouth. Sometimes you just need to say SHIT.
- Loving and nurturing. I think I got this one down….1 out of 3 so far, not bad.
- Delicate-makes me think weak and vulnerable and though in some situations that’s great,overall, I’d rather just be strong.
- Elegant-I instantly think of dresses. I mean what’s more elegant than a beautiful woman dressed up in a flowing gown. Yes, I have grown up and do sometimes wear dresses, bruised shins and all. However, it’s still not my go-to outfit especially since leggings come in so many awesome colors.
Admittedly, when I try on some dresses I have that moment where I say NOPE way too much delt action to look ladylike in this number. Don’t take this as “I hate the way I look” because I love muscle, but some clothes flatter your physique and some don’t and also time and place comes into play. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I visualize myself dressed in that slinky black dress it doesn’t include being asked to do double bicep pose at dinner…..especially because I could probably not duplicate the tutorial for this look.
Girlie tomboy lifter?
Let’s face reality lifting probably isn’t the most “girlie” thing to do. We have callused hands, we smell like ben gay, we get sweaty, we have muscle and we sometimes put boys to shame when we lift more than they can. Call me crazy but when I hit that platform in that ever so attractive wrestling singlet I still wanna feel well….somewhat feminine. I wear my hair down, mani/pedi of course, I’ve even been known to apply lipstick during warm-ups and yea nothing screams elegant like a pair of lacy thongs hiding underneath the singlet, even if you’re the only one that knows it. When I bombed out at nationals last year I cried and if that isn’t proof I am a delicate flower I don’t know what is. I don’t scream or get my face slapped before a lift, I tend towards a more quiet approach and there’s that soft spoken attribute I thought I lacked. I am a girlie tomboy lifter after all!
What is femininity to you as a lifter?
SIDENOTE:
I’ve seen these little numbers on instagram and I finally found the link they even custom design for you!! They are made by Gamlet. Check it out if you like flowers, pink and other bright obnoxious colors.
